Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 44
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Tested by Indra and Blessed by Nara-Nārāyaṇa
तद् वै भजाम्यृतधियस्तव पादमूलं हित्वेदमात्मच्छदि चात्मगुरो: परस्य । देहाद्यपार्थमसदन्त्यमभिज्ञमात्रं विन्देत ते तर्हि सर्वमनीषितार्थम् ॥ ४४ ॥
tad vai bhajāmy ṛta-dhiyas tava pāda-mūlaṁ hitvedam ātma-cchadi cātma-guroḥ parasya dehādy apārtham asad antyam abhijña-mātraṁ vindeta te tarhi sarva-manīṣitārtham
Ainsi, ô Seigneur, Maître suprême de l’âme, j’adore la base de Tes pieds de lotus, ayant renoncé à l’identification au corps et à tout ce qui voile mon être véritable. Ces enveloppes sont vaines, sans substance et passagères, simple supposition de séparation d’avec Toi, dont l’intelligence embrasse toute vérité. En Te réalisant, la Personne Suprême, on obtient tout ce qui est désirable.
One who falsely identifies himself as the material body or mind automatically feels entitled to exploit the material world. But when we realize our eternal spiritual nature and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s supreme proprietorship over all that be, we renounce our false enjoying propensity by the strength of spiritual knowledge.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the body and its extensions are unreal and temporary; by abandoning the veil of false identity and taking shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet, one realizes the Supreme as pure consciousness.
After witnessing the Lord’s extraordinary revelation, Mārkaṇḍeya affirms that the sure path is devotion to the Lord’s feet, because the Lord is the supreme inner guru who removes the soul’s covering of illusion.
Practice daily remembrance and devotion (prayer, japa, kīrtana), and consciously treat the body-based ego and anxieties as temporary—then align decisions with the soul’s lasting goal: loving service to the Supreme.